Black and White Photos
by AndyHood
Summary: Audra makes a discovery that leads the whole family to sit down and look through old family photos. Through these photos Heath will shed light on his past and lead him to truely accept the family around him. Sequel to A Man's Horse.


Black and White Photos

It was a cold winter's night in California, but to the people in the Barkley's house it was warm. Victoria was glad that all her sons were in the house and out of the weather.

Jarod was sitting next to the fire nursing a glass of Scotch, while reading up on his next case. Her other sons Nick, Eugene, and Heath were in the other room playing a friendly game of pool. It still amazed Victoria how Heath had just fallen into place, he had only been in the family for six months but it felt like he had always been there. He was the missing puzzle piece they didn't know they were missing until they found it.

This is why Victoria could never truly hate her dead husband for what he did; if he didn't then there would have been an empty void that never would have been filled. She knew that many women in her place would have never accepted their husband's bastard son. But Victoria couldn't blame the sins of the father on the child, and she loved Heath. She loved him as much as her other sons, he was the son of her heart even though he wasn't the son of her body.

He reminded Victoria so much of her late husband, his laugh and the twinkle in his eyes. He had inherited his father's eyes and smile and even his gift with horses. Heath could walk into a herd of horse and pick out the best one in a matter of minutes.

She was interrupted from her musing by her youngest child and her only daughter Audra.

"Mother look what I found!" she said smiling. In her hands were the family's photo album, covered in dust.

"I had almost forgotten about those" said Victoria, "Why it's been years since I have looked though them, where did you find those at Audra."

"Find what Mother?" asked Nick as he entered the room followed by the rest of his brothers.

"Audra found the family albums" answered Victoria smiling.

Jared whistled, "I cannot remember the last time we looked at those Mother."

Audra smiled sadly, "I do, it was the Christmas before Father died."

Everyone was silent for a moment remembering their Father, Heath looked down at the ground respecting the others moment. Victoria broke the moment by standing up and taking the albums from Audra and sitting down on the couch. "I think then it's about time to go through them again."

The boys gathered around their Mother, Audra taking a seat next to Victoria and Gene took the other seat next to her. Heath, Jarod, and Nick stood behind and leaned over the back of the couch as Victoria opened the book to its first page. It was a picture of Tom and Victoria on their wedding day.

"Mother you look so beautiful" said Audra looking at the picture. Indeed Victoria looked beautiful in a white dress with her raven black hair curled to frame her face, Tom Barkley was dressed in a black suit, his hair combed to the side, a moustache supported his upper lip. He looked like Jared, but had Heath's eyes, and Nick's nose.

Victoria ran her hand over the picture; it seemed such a long time ago, she was so young back then. It was long before she had even set eyes on this valley. "Thank-you Audra. It seems like such a long time ago." She flipped the page, it was a family portrait of Her, Tom, and the newest addition Jared. There were a few scenery photos and a picture of a log cabin that had once stood where the grand house did now.

"Ah Nick look how cute you were" laughed Gene, "What happened?" As Victoria flipped to the page with the family portrait of the four Barkley's. Nick playfully cuffed Gene upside the head, laughing good naturally.

"You were born."

Victoria smiled and turned another page, it was a picture of Jared on a black horse, Tom standing proud next to him. Jared smiled at the picture, "My first horse Blackjack" he recalled.

"Your Father was so happy to give you that horse, he was almost excited as you were Jared, as he was for all of you."

Audra was the only one to catch Heath look of confusion. "Father bought all of us our first horse" said Audra without thinking. It wasn't until she saw the look of sadness and regret that she opened her mouth to apologize, but Heath gave her a gently smile.

"It's alright Audra."

Audra smiled in return and flipped to the next page, Victoria smiled at the pictures of Eugene as a baby and then of some with the three boys and of baby Audra. She laughed at a picture of Eugene and Tom.

"Do you remember Gene when your Father brought home your first horse and you were so excited that you fell into the trough when we were taking this photo."

Gene groaned, as everyone peered closely at the photo laughing at Gene sitting in the water. All but Heath, he stared at the picture of his Father. All the other photos of Tom Barkley were of him with a moustache or a beard. In this photo he was clean shaven and Heath couldn't believe what he was seeing. He must have had a strange expression on his face because Jarrod stopped laughing and studied him.

"Is there something wrong Heath?"

Heath looked at Jarrod and then back at the photo, "No I'm just suddenly tired, if you'll excuse me." All five watched as Heath climbed the stairs and retreated into the bedroom.

"What do you think is the matter with him" demanded Nick looking at where Heath had disappeared to.

"Maybe he's just tired brother Nick" answered Jared, not wanting to pry into Heath's business. Victoria knew that it was something else, she gently placed the book into Audra's hands and stood up.

No one said anything as she followed Heath up to his bedroom. As she expected his door was closed but the light was still on.

She knocked lightly on the door. "Heath may I come in" asked Victoria gently, she waited a moment before she heard soft footsteps and the door opened to reveal her blonde son. He stepped aside so she could enter before closing the door. Victoria turned to face him. "Heath, are you alright?" she questioned.

"I'm fine Mother, just tired" answered Heath, looking at the floor before looking at her. Victoria recognized the half-truth and gave him the, I'm not buying it look.

"Heath, I know you saw something that upset you in one of the photographs and I want to know what it was."

Heath sighed and went to seat on the bed, leaving enough room for Victoria who sat down next to him. "When I was fourteen I was living on my own working from town to town doing anything I could do without a horse. I finally saved enough money to buy one, I was in a town called Hilton, there was a big horse sale going on." He paused to let her sink in all the information he had given her before continuing. "I bid on a few but I was out-bided on all of them. I stuck around after all the work horses were sold and the fancy ones for breeding were brought out. I was watching the best of them and nodding to myself until the last one came up. A big beautiful bay stallion; claimed that he was saddle and bridle broke. But I knew the boy riding him and knew that the owner wasn't being quite truthful on how good that bay was broke. I shook my head and was turning to leave when a man waved me over. Told me that he had been watching me all day and noticed I had quite the eye for horse flesh and he wanted to know what was wrong with this horse since I had shook my head at him. I told him the truth and he managed to get out-bided saving him over a thousand dollars. He gave me a horse he had bought to show his appreciation on saving him from buying that bay, it was a small roan. I tried to refuse but he insisted and I eventually caved. That small roan was my first horse and the man who gave it to me was Tom Barkley. I never realized it was him until that picture of Gene with him clean shaven."

Victoria was shocked, she remembered Tom telling her the story of the boy that saved him from buying a junk horse. She couldn't believe that the boy in the story was actually Heath. She reached over and took his hand and squeezed it.

"Heath, my husband went to many horse sales, and he gave away many things. But Tom only gave away horses to his children. Heath, I do believe it was fate that Tom gave you a horse that day. You are a member of this family and this only confirms that you indeed belong here. Even Tom must have seen something in you, that reminded him of himself. That day he did claim you as a son by giving you your first horse, just like he did with the rest of his sons, whether he knew it or not."

Heath thought for a second and smiled his crooked smile, before turning and picking up the framed picture of his mother. Without a word he popped off the back and took an out the picture, but it wasn't the picture of his mother. It was of a young man, standing next to a little roan horse.

"My Aunt Rachel and Hannah scrapped enough money to have this picture taken for my birthday."

Victoria smiled eyes sparkling as they took in the sight of young Heath, grinning the same smile that he was smiling at her.

"Heath this doesn't belong behind the picture of your Mother, taking his hand she lead him back downstairs. Gene and Audra making room for her on the couch. They all watched as she took the photo album back from Audra. Victoria switched a few pictures around until there was a blank place and there was where she put the photo.

The siblings all studied the photo, and a look of recognition passed in Nick's eyes as he gazed at the roan horse. "I remember that horse, Father gave it to a boy…" Nick trailed off, "Heath, you were the boy Father gave that horse to."

Heath smiled, "Boy howdy, what gave it away Nick, the fact I'm in the picture or I brought it down from my room."

"He got you there brother Nick" laughed Jared, the others joined in the laughter. Heath laughter mixed with his new family's. The feeling of belonging here filled the young cowboy, like it never had before.

Victoria looked down at open pages of the photo album, the 5 faces of her children smiled at her along with the faces of Tom and herself. Her family was complete, and she knew that somewhere Tom was smiling down at their family. Once again she thanked God, Tom, and Leah for her beautiful family, she thanked Leah for raising such a wonderful son, and she made a promise to Leah that Heath would always be loved, like one of her own children. It was an honor to call Heath her son, and have him apart of her family.

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Thanks for reading, please review!


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